Visicalc IV Features Graphics, Data Management, and User-Defined Commands

What's New

Byte Magazine

December 1983

Visicorp has announced the availability of Visicalc IV for the IBM PC and XT. This program integrates all the features of standard Visicalc and extends them with graphics, sorting, spreadsheet management and a capability for userdefined commands, known as Keysaver. Visicalc IV's new graphics commands let you convert spreadsheet data into a graphical format instantly. "What-if" analyses can be created with a single keystroke that calls up one or more of the eight integral graphics options. Complex or special graphs can be stored on disk and later quickly retrieved with a single keystroke. Graphs can be printed in standard or large size, normal or reverse image, and normal or sideways. Available graphs include area, bar, dot pie, scatter, line, and such sophisticated graphs as high, low, closed, and stacked and comparative bar. Both monochrome and color graphics are supported.

Visicalc IV's high-speed sorting and rearranging capabilities treat your spreadsheets as if they were a database. This allows you to generate ad hoc reports as well as standard financial models. Sorting can be performed on rows or subsets of rows; columns can be rearranged with a few keystrokes.

The Keysaver feature lets you store a series of Visicalc commands and operations under any key, including function keys. A single file can accommodate as many as 66 user commands. Defining a keystroke sequence is said to be a simple operation because the software continually tracks the last 75 characters typed. At any time, you can recall these keystrokes, define them as a command, and assign them to a function key. or you can modify the sequence if desired.

Visicalc IV is available from Visicorp dealers nationwide. The suggested retail price is $250. Visicorp is headquartered at 2895 Zanker Rd., San Jose, CA 95134, (408) 946-9000.